Lever-actuated, slidable jaw wrench



Dec. 1%, 1956 R. MANO 2,774,271

LEVER-ACTUATED, SLIDABLE JAW WRENCH Filed March 18, 1955 pi i 1 .6 I w997 2 1 1| m] i 16 '17 1a ,1" 3

INVENTOR RAP MEL L. MAND United States Patent ice 2,174,271 PatentedDec. 18,, 195 6 LEVER-ACTUATED, SLIDABLE JAW WRENCH Raphael Lucien Mano,Paris, France, assignor to Societe dEtudes Mecaniques et dOrganisationIndustrieile, Paris, France, a societe anonyme of France ApplicationMarch 18, 1955, Serial No. 495,211

5 Claims. ((Jl. 81-127) The present invention has for its object anadjustable spanner constructed in such manner as to permit of thetightening or the unscrewing of a nut, without it being necessary todisengage the spanner when passing from a grip on two of theoppositesides of the nut to the subsequent grip on two other sides.

To this end, the spanner in accordance with the invention, whichcomprises a first jaw, which will hereinafter be referred to as thefixed jaw, is characterised in that its second jaw is slidably-mountedwith respect to the said fixed jaw, and is constantly urged towards thatjaw by a light control spring, and in that it is provided with means forfixing the moving jaw during the course of each elementary operation oftightening or unscrewing and, at the end of each efiort applied to thespanner, to give the moving jaw a certainfreedom to slide so that thesaid moving jaw may give way, against the opposing action of its controlspring by the necessary and sufiicient amount to enable the jaws of thespanner to be brought into engagement with the followingsides of thenut.

The invention is illustrated by way .of example in the attacheddrawings, in which:

Fig. l is a view in elevation of one form of embodiment of the spanner;

Figs. 2 and 3 aredetail views in cross-section taken respectively alongthe lines II-II and IIIIII of Fig. 1;

Figs. 4 and 5 are views in elevation of alternative forms to the form ofembodiment shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of a detail of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a view in elevation of a further alternative form and relatingto a form of embodiment of a spanner designed to operatesemi-automatically.

In accordance with the form of embodiment shown in Figs. 1 and 2, thespanner consists of a fixed jaw 1 to which is rigidly fixed an arm 2along which the moving jaw 3 is slidably-mounted, a relatively lightcontrol spring 4 tending to urge the moving jaw constantly towards thefixed jaw 1. The operating arm 5 is pivotally-mounted at 6 on the jaw 1,and comprises a heel portion 7, the face 8 of which is adapted to beapplied against the corner 81: of the rear face of the jaw 3, thesurfaces thus intended to be brought into contact being preferablygrooved in the form of saw teeth.

It will be understood that if a nut is engaged between the jaws 1 and3--the jaw 3 having preferably a forward lip 9 designed to facilitatesuch engagement-the control spring 4 holds the said jaw 3 in contactwith the nut. If then the operating arm 5 is actuated in the directionof the arrow f1, the heel 7 comes into contact with the corner 8b of thejaw 3 and fixes it in position, the latter being locked in the directionis by the nut and in the direction f4 by the heel 7 of the operatingarm. On the other hand, when the tightening force is no longer appliedto this arm, if the said arm is slightly displaced in the direction h,the face 8 of the heel 7 leaves the jaw 3 which again becomes free; thespring 4 gives way and the jaw 3, guided by the shape of the nut, ismoved first of all in the direction f4 and then when the spanner comesin contact with the subsequent sides of the said nut, in the directionf3 under the action of the spring 4. The spanner is thus in this mannermade ready to carry out a further tightening operation. The returntravel of the operating arm 8, which may be very short, is limited by anabutment 10 formed for example on the jaw 1.

As shown in Fig. 3, provision is made to form sawtooth grooves on thejaws 1 and 3, the saw teeth 11 and 12 being directed in opposite sensesto each other with respect to the axis of the jaws, so as to ensure abetter grip on the nut which is engaged between the jaws.

In accordance with an alternative form of embodiment shown in Fig. 4,the eifort of the operating arm 5 on the jaw 3 is applied by theextremity 8a, in the form of a wedge, of the heel 7 of this arm andteeth 13 are formed on the rear face of the moving jaw 3, in one ofwhich teeth the wedge 8a is engaged, depending on the size of the nutbeing tightened. In accordance with a preferred form of embodiment,these teeth have a pitch and a depth which increase from one tooth tothe next so as to obtain, in spite of the accuracy of adjustment of thejaws which becomes less as the size of the nuts to be handled becomesgreater, an increase in the surface area of abutment and, inconsequence, of the effort applied by the operating arm.

in the case of the forms of embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4, thespanner can obviously be reversed in position, depending on whether itis intended to effect either screwing up or unscrewing of the nut, inwhich case it will have to be disengaged from the nut.

The alternative form shown in Figs. 5 and 6 enables either tightening upor slackening ofi to be effected without having to disengage thespanner.

To this end, the operating arm 5 comprises, in addition to its heelportion 7 which acts as before in tightening up, an attachment 14 whichcarries a further heel 7a, symmetrical with the first and intended tooperate when unscrewing. On the other hand, a further attachment 15,which is for example fixed .to the arm 2, is provided withthreeabutments 16, 17 and 18, of which the central abutment can beremoved by operating a finger piece 19. When tightening up (actuation ofthe arm 5 in the direction f1), the heel 7 acts between the abutments 16and 17, while for unscrewing it is sufiicient to displace temporarilythe central stop 17 so as to bring the heel 7 between the abuttnents 17and 18, the stop 17 being then reestablished so that the arm 5, actuatedin the direction f2, is used for unscrewing by the action of the' heel7a, in identically the same conditions as those described above withreference to screwing-up. It is obvious that during the operation ofunscrewing, the wedge 7a acts on the wedge of the jaw 3.

Fig. 7 shows a semi-automatic form of embodiment of V the shiftingspanner, in accordance with which the moving jaw is provided with aseries of saw teeth 20, the operating arm carrying an arm 21 which ispivotallyfixed at 22 on the operating arm and is controlled by a springblade 23. The extremity of the arm 21 carries a wedge 24 intended toengage in one of the teeth 20. In this case, the operator presses withhis thumb on the arm 21 to prevent movement of the jaw during thetightening-up operation, and leaves the blade free to enable the spannerto take a grip on the subsequent sides of the nut to be tightened up orunscrewed.

What I claim is:

1. An adjustable spanner having a fixed jaw, a shaft end rigidly securedto the said fixed jaw, a movable jaw slidably-mountecl along the saidshaft end, a control spring mounted on the said shaft end and adapted tourge the said movable jaw towards the said fixed jaw, an operatinghandle for the said spanner, the said handle being 7 11.1.8 Lsaidmovable jaw. 1

"iii abl 7 'pivotallyrmounted on' the fixed jaw at the extremity of" he.said jaw which is oppositetoI 1 its lip, tan, abutment. on

the said operating handle and adapted to so-operate with an abutment onthe said fixed jaw, aheel formed on the :saidwzoperating; handle andhaving an incurve'd portion arranged opposite: theirear part ofithe'saidi'movable jaw, ihe said indugved' portion. being hollowed-out intheeform i-Qf =a, g11tter"sqa&tocome into. abutment by its base withadjustable spannerhaving afixed jaw, a'shaft end Ii'g dlyfl sec redtqthe saidfixed jaw, a movable jaw slidably-mounted along the said shaftend, a restoring spr n msmn ed; onit e' aid shaft end nd adapt d t e 51a a d m vabl jaw to atdsihp said. fixed iaw, 1 n Operatin handlei ona tt ngz e a d spanner an up vota yr fixed t t e s id fixed ialw t a qextty o the aid dewwhidi i 9ppo i e to t sl p, a abu m n on the said a dland a a ed to @swpe w 4, heii i fiz iiaw a hee yfo me o t e sa dJQBEEQfi fiPhiPQlg a s tbavin an i l l 'yd; ed e. arranged -QP Q FQ he ap lfi Q the a d mp ab e ia a sharp t he 9nd; f 1 45 nsu veded e a a sere e h; ms: 9 the, s d tea jo h a iso as; sqpera e w th thez harp fd lfth'ah Q f h sai4PPe a in h nd1e. r 3-.'A n adjustable spanner inaccordance with claim 2 d. fur.ther comgrising on the rear part 01; thesaid movahle'i ,i1 i tyf ;s?w i 1l 3P Ph an depth 6 'wlii ingest d w fiaei ih and the a jaw which is furthest from the said fixed jaw to theopposite end tvyhi ch is, nearest the said fixed jaw. t

' An adjustables ianner having a fixed jaw, a shaft.

I I ,ountd falong thesaid shaftenia control spring n1 ufited'on't'h'esaid shaft endYandiadapted to urge the movable, jaw towards the saidvlfiiii'ed jaw, an operg' han dl'e, for the said spannen'thle said-'handlelbeing pivotallv nioufited "on" the fixed'jaw 1 at th extr mit ofthe said, jaw which is opposite toits Iii), a 11561 formed 'g handle.andil lavingt an incurved edge ng opf os tetherearpart of-thesaid'movable"jaw, ridge 59 1 1 99 7 t, I 9 d 19 said" @9 26; a

V metrical with respectt'to said shaft end the sharp ridge. ofthe heelrigidlytfixed to.the. said operatingiham dle, a secondattachment fixedto the extremityof the shaft end which carries thesaid movable jaw and,on the said second attachment, a system of three abutments in line, ofwhich the central abutment is movable, adapted,

v secured'to the said'fixed jaw, a movable jaw operating handle so astoensure 'a rotational travel of the saidvha'ndle such "asfltotbringtintoabutment withith'eisaid movable jaw either the one or. the other of ,thesharp ridges of the attachment which is'j igidly fixed to thehe'el 0fthe said qperatingfha'ndlei t 5. An adf'stable spanner'having a fixedjaw, a shaft end'rigidly securedto the said fixed jaw,,-and which isadapted to format the same timejheoperating'handle of the said spanner,a'movable jaw slidably-mounted along the said shaft end, a controlspring mounted on the said shaft end and adapted to urge the saidmovable jawto w r s the sa d .fixed jaw, a seri s .Qt-teeth ormedoniithe ea pa o th flsa dlmovahle ja a .levetpivotan ,m u te a .931 o itpxt miii s 9. 1 t e, s a end. whi h 1 th qrme iaf the. qiivqs e extte miytq the. said-leve andtinte ded. gengagerwith one of atwh otu he sidjmov ble jaw,"

, ons tutesht e sa Qperadfiahan an a pr n dapte t r th sa d p vctelklevert oard tha in tian i wh sht itfie i hesaidim vablc jaw. 6 V t .1ifife se si i sd 11? e pw gawm

